Train-despatcher s indicator



N-o, 623,392. Patented'Apr. le, |899. n. F. ADAMS.

TRAIN DESPATCHER'S INDICATOR.

(Application led Dec. 9, 1898.) (N0 Model.)

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llnrrnn STATES PATENT @Tricia ROBERT FRANKLIN ADAMS, OF HORSE CREEK, ALABAMA.

TRAIN-DESPAT-CHERS' INDICATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 623,392, dated April 18, 1899.

Application filed December 9, 1898.

To {(/ZZ wwnt it 772,603/ concern.:

Be it known that l, ROBERT FRANKLIN ADAMS, of Horse Creek, in the county ot' lValker and State of Alabama, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Train-Despatchers Indicators, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to pnovide an indicator for the use of train despatchers which shall be a miniature representation of the railroad, withits stations and trains, and which shall present in a graphic object-lesson the position and movements of the various trains at various points along the road, in the place of the more uncertain and di't'licult method of consulting figured charts.

It consists in the peculiar construction and arrangement of parts, which I will now proceed to describe, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure lis a front elevation of the indicator. Fig. 2 is an enlarged front view at one station. Fig. 3 is a transverse section, and Fig. 4 is a detail in perspective, of one of the train-buttons.

H is a board which forms the base of the indicator and is designed to be hung up or otherwise disposed in full view of the Train-despatcher. rlhis board has represented on it by suitable cards placed under glass doors at G the names of the various stations along the full route of the railroad.

F represents the outgoing, and F the incoming, series of trains of a sin gie-track road.

A represents a time-table for all regular schedule trains, bearing the numbers of trains and the time due at the station where they are placed. The time-table is on a card which is placed under a glass door A', Fig. 2, which works on hinges. The card can be removed or table changed by raising the small glass doors. B is another smaller tim e-table which works in the same way and is for the same purpose as that of A except it is used for a time-table of all special or extra trains.

C is a plate or tablet between each station and has a card iixed under a glass giving the distance from one station to the other between which it is placed.

D represents the trains. These are buttons bearing the numbers of the train they represent. They are provided with a slide-piece Serial No. 698,728.- (No model.)

underneath which neatly tits a groove g in the board, representing the track, and in which they are moved. The underneath slide-piece has a small spring s, Fig.' 4, on one side, which catches in a notch n in the side of the groove. These notches are located at and also between each station, so as to hold the slides firmly and prevent them from being moved accidentally. These slides are of different colors-white, black, red, and yellow. The white slides represent regular passengertrains, bearing also the number of the train. The black slides represent regular freighttrains with their numbers. The red slides represent special or extratrains, and the yellow slides represent work trains. These slides are moved along in two parallel grooves, as shown in the drawings. The two grooves are to show that part of the trains are going one way and part the other-as, for instance,

those on the right-hand groove are running north and those on the left are running south. The slides are to be moved by the despatcher, and they stand between stations except when they meet at stations. The despatcher moves the slides as he gets reports from'the several trains. For instance, if a certain slide is standing between two stations he lets it stand there until he receives a report that the train bearing the number corresponding to that slide has left the next-station, then he moves such slide out between the station the train has just left and the next one, letting it stand there until the train is reported as having left the next station, and so on. By these means the despatcher can see in miniature his trains and know just where they all are at aglance. If a train is reported arrived at a station and is to wait for another train at that station, then the despatcher moves his slide (which represents .the reported train) to that station, letting it stand until reported out, &:c.

E represents a short branch line running out to some coal-mine or factory where trains are liable to go out and stay for several hours. When atrain is reported out on the short line,

the despatcher moves his slide representing that train out on the short line, as shown in the drawings, letting it stand there until reported back'on the main line. y

It' a train is wrecked on the road, the despatcher has a little blue cap or lid Z, Fig. 4,

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which he places over the slide representing the wrecked train and lets it remain there until the Wreck is taken up.

I represents blank cards for special remarks. These cards have the name of the station and date and numbers of the trains on them. They are not a time-table and are only to be used .when a train is late at that station, the regular table being just opposite them, as shown in drawings and indicated by A. Hence it will not be necessary to make any figures only when a train is late. Then the blank card is used for such special remarks.

The advantages in using the train despatchers indicator for running trains are- First. It is a safe method, the despatcher having the whole line, with all the trains` stations, time-tables, the., before him in miniature, enabling him to see just Where all the trains are at a glance over his board, which is a great deal better than having to look up figures and numbers on a great sheet of paper to find where certain trains are and then being so liable to make mistakes by having nothing to refer to but a great sheet covered with gures andnumbers. It is safer than the old method for t-he same reason that seeing is more certain and safer than thinking or iiguring.

Second. It is an easier method, doing away with so much figuring, which of course lessens the labor, and thereby also lessens liability of making mistakes. Figuring is not required in operating the indicator except in making special remarks, for which a blank card is furnished, as shown in the drawings and indicated by I. These remarks will seldom have to be made, as the despatcher can see the location of his trains at all times. Another thing to make it easier is its simplicity (which also makes it safer) in changing operators or shifts When the fresh man comes in to take hold, the man who has just been operating the method does not have to go through with a long and tedious explanation; but the new man can see at a glance where Vall trains are and just what to do. Y Y

Third. In dispensing With labor and liability of course it is cheaper. The indicator then has for its principal results the saving of lives and expenses.

In making use of my invention I would have it understood that I do not confine myself to the specific construction and arrangement of parts shown, as these may be varied in some particulars without departing from my inventio-n. Thus, for instance, instead of using the grooves F F', with slides moving in the grooves, I may use guide rods or rails torepresent the tracks and perforate or groove the slide, so as to embrace and travel over the said rod or rail.

` Having thus described my invention, what Iclaim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A train-despatchers indicator, consisting of two parallel guides represent-ing outgoing and incoming trains, station-markings with time-tables fixedly arranged along the guides, and buttons representing trains arran gedto move along the guides and provided with means for locking the buttons to definite positions along the guides substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. A train-despatchers indicator, consisting of a hoard having one or more grooves cut in the same representing the track or tracks, buttons With heads and locking-springs arranged within the grooves and representing trains, station markings along the trackgrooves, and local time-tables arranged at each station substantially as and for the purpose described.

8. Atrain-despatchersindicatorconsisting of a board having two main grooves representing the outgoing and incoming trains, and a diverging groove extending from the main grooves to represent a branch line, time-tables for each station iixedly arranged along the grooves, and buttons representing trains arranged to move in the main grooves and to be extended out into the branch grooves substantially as and for the purpose described.

4. Atrain-despatchers'indicatorconsisting of a base having two parallel guides thereon representing outgoing and incoming trains, station-markings along the guides, time-tables at the stations, xed indicators between stations showing the distances between stations, and buttons arranged in the guides to represent trains, said buttons being provided with means for fixing them in their adjustment along the guides substantially asvand for the purpose described.

ROBERT FRANKLIN ADAMS.

W'itnesses:

R. F. W YATT, R. H. PALMER.

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